Tube base



Oct. 14, 1941 E. J. GORN 2,258,606

TUBE BAS E F iled June 8; 1940 FIG. I.

i atented Oct. 14, 1941 UNITED STATES M PATENT OFFICE TUBE BASE Elmer J. Gorn, Brookline,.Mass., assignor to Raytheon Production Corporation, Newton, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Application June 8, 1940, Serial No. 339,535

6 Claims. (Cl. 250-275) This invention relates to bases for electrical tubeshaving projecting contact pins adapted to engage contact members in a tube socket for establishing electrical contact to said contact pins.

An object of this invention is to provide an arrangement of contact pins which is preferably symmetrical, together with means for insuring proper orientation of said contact pins upon insertion into the socket.

A further object is to facilitate the reliability and ease of such orientation and insertion.

The foregoing and other objects of this invention will be best understood from the following description of an embodiment thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal view, partly in section, of a tube embodying my invention, showing its relation to a socket while being inserted there- Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the tube shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top view of a socket adapted to receive the contact pins and orienting member of the tube base; and

Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

The embodiment shown in the drawing consists of an electrical space discharge tube of any desired type, usually comprising a glass envelope I containing the electrod structure to which it is desired to establish electrical connections. The glass envelope I has cemented thereto an insulating base 2 having a flat lower face 3 to which are secured and from which project contact pins 4. These contact pins are preferably disposed symmetrically and uniformly in a circle about a central axis aa. Also secured to the base 2 within the circle of contacts 4 is an orienting member 5 which projects beyond the ends of the contacts 4. The center of the orienting member 5 coincides with axis bb which is eccentric with respect to the axis aa by a substantial amount indicated by d in Figs. 2 and 4. On one side of the orienting member 5 is provided an aligning projection 6. This projection 6 is located on the side of the orienting member 5 which is farther away from the center of the circle of contacts 4. Although the aligning projection 6 is shown extending the length of the orienting member 5, such an arrangement is not necessary inasmuch as the projection may exist only along a portion of the orienting member 5 beyond the outer ends of the contact pins 4. The

55 example, it is not necessary for the tube to have ends of the orienting member 5 and the aligning projection 6 are preferably flush.

A conventional type of socket I may be utilized with the foregoing construction. This socket I is provided with holes 8 disposed in a circle substantially in the same manner as the disposition of the contact pins 4. Below each of the holes 8 and in alignment therewith is a series of contacts 9. The socket l is also provided with an aligning opening Ill which is circular in shape and whose center coincides with the center of the circle of holes 8. The diameter of the opening I0 is substantially equal to the distance between the outside of the projection 6 and the opposite side of the orienting member 5, which relationship is shown most clearly in Fig. 3. In a predetermined position on one side of the opening I0 is an orienting slot II. This slot is preferably substantially the same depth as the height of the projection 6, although this slot can be considerably greater than said height.

In order to insert th contact pins 4 into the openings 8, the orienting member 5, together with the aligning projection 6, is inserted into the opening ID. The outside of the projection 6 contacts the inner edge of the opening It, and holds the pins eccentric with respect to the openings 8, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3. As long as the projection 6 thus engages the inner edge of the opening It), the pins 4 cannot pass into the holes 8 inasmuch as they are not in alignment therewith. Preferably the outer ends of the pins 4 lie in a single plane substantially at right angles to the direction of extension of the pins 4. As the tube together with the socket 2 is rotated, the outer ends of the pins 4 ride on the upper surface of the socket I. This automatically maintains the contact pins 4 in the proper vertical position, and tends to prevent tilting of the tube as well as of the contact pins. As the above rotation is continued, the projection 6 comes opposite the slot II, at which time the entire tube structure shifts laterally, causing the projection 6 to drop into the slot II. This action brings each of the contact pins 4 into exact alignment with the openings 8, and therefore the insertion of the tube pins into said openings can be completed. It will be seen that upon such insertion, proper orientation between the contact pins 4 and the socket I is insured.

or course it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular details as described above as many equivalents will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. For

a separate insulating base, as described above. In some instances the base may be formed as an integral part of the glass tube wall. Various other changes will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. It is accordingly desired that the appended claims be given a broad interpretation commensurate with the scope of the invention within the art.

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical tube base comprising a pincarrying member, contact pins secured to said pin-carrying member extending therefrom and disposed substantially in a circle, an orienting member secured to said pin-carrying member, disposed within said circle and projecting beyond the ends of said contact pins, and a projection on one side of said orienting member and extending substantially to the outer end of said orienting member, the center of said orienting member being eccentric with respect to the center of said circle.

2. An electrical tube base comprising a pincarrying member, contact pins secured to said pin-carrying member extending therefrom and disposed substantially in a circle, an orienting member secured to said pin-carrying member, disposed within said circle and projecting beyond the ends of said contact pins, and a projection on one side of said orienting member and extending substantially to the outer end of said orienting member, the center of said orienting member and the center of the distance between the outside of said projection and the opposite side of said orienting member being eccentric with respect to the center of said circle.

3. In combination, an electrical tube base comprising a pin-carrying member, contact pins secured to said pin-carrying member extending therefrom and disposed substantially in a circle, an orienting member secured to said pin-carrying member, disposed within said circle and projecting beyond the ends of said contact pins, and a projection on one side of said orienting member and extending substantially to the outer end of said orienting member, the center of said orienting member being eccentric with respect to the center of said circle, and a socket having a central opening in which said orienting member and said projection are adapted to be journalled, said opening having a recess into which said projection is adapted to be received in a predetermined angular position of said orienting member, and contact members disposed substantially in a circle substantially concentric with said opening to receive said contact pins.

4. In combination, an electrical tube base comprising a, pin-carrying member, contact pins secured to said pin-carrying member extending therefrom and disposed substantially in a circle, an orienting member secured to said pin-carrying member, disposed within said circle and projecting beyond the ends of said contact pins, and a projection on one side of said orienting member and extending substantially to the outer end of said orienting member, the center of said orienting member and the center of the distance between the outside of said projection and the opposite side of said orienting member being eccentric with respect to the center of said circle, and a socket having a central opening in which said orienting member and said projection are adapted to be journalled, said opening having a recess into which said projection is adapted to be received in a predetermined angular position of said orienting member, and contact members disposed substantially in a circle substantially concentric with said opening to receive said contact pins.

5. An electrical tube base comprising a pin carrying member, contact pins secured to said pin carrying member, extending therefrom, and disposed substantially in a circle, an orienting member secured to said pin carrying member, disposed Within said circle, and projecting beyond the ends of said contact pins, a projection on one side of said orienting member beyond the ends of said contact pins, the center of said orienting member being eccentric towards said projection with respect to the center of said circle, by an amount substantially equal to one half the distance which said projection extends beyond said orienting member.

6. An electrical tube base comprising a pin carrying member, contact pins secured to said pin carrying member, extending therefrom, and disposed substantially in a, circle, an orienting member secured to said pin carrying member,- disposed within said circle, and projecting beyond the ends of said contact pins, a projection on one side of said orienting member beyond the ends of said contact pins, the center of the distance between the outside of said projection and the opposite side of said orienting member being eccentric with respect to the center of said circle by an amount substantially equal to the distance said projection extends beyond said orienting member. 1

ELMER J. GORN. 

